


The First Redhead

by Total_whovian



Category: Major Crimes (TV), NCIS
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-03-03
Updated: 2016-03-03
Packaged: 2018-05-24 13:19:47
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 22,353
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6154999
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Total_whovian/pseuds/Total_whovian
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Gibbs and his team work in LA instead of DC, and while investigating the murder of a naval officer, they cross paths with Major Crimes as they search for a serial killer. When Gibbs enters the Murder Room, he recognizes a certain Captain from his past. Is this really a second chance at love with the very first redhead that stole his heart? Better than it sounds!</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This idea has been bouncing around in my head for a while and I am excited to get it started. For the sake of this working, I have swapped the NCIS: LA team with the NCIS team. So now Gibbs and his team are in LA and Hetty and her team are in DC. Also, for this to work, I am saying that both Gibbs and Sharon grew up in Stillwater, Pennsylvania. Since we don’t know all of Sharon’s past this is my take on her life.

Visiting the Past

 

Special Agent Gibbs strode through the squad room and straight to his desk, “Gear up! We’ve got a dead sailor.”

Special Agents Dinozzo, McGee, and Bishop quickly grabbed their bags, side arms, badges, and coats and rushed to the elevator to catch up with their boss. 

“Where are we going boss?” Tony Dinozzo asked, still trying to get his bag on his shoulder.

“Downtown LA,” he said before handing a sticky note to McGee.

“I’ll call Ducky and give him the address,” Tim McGee nodded, taking the note from his boss’s hand.

“According to the Director,” Gibbs spoke as the elevator reached the garage, “we will be working with the LAPD on this.”

“Why is the LAPD involved?” Ellie Bishop confused voice echoed in the large garage, “I thought you said it was a dead sailor?”

“I did, but the Major Crimes department thinks that this is linked to a serial killer that they have been looking for. If it turns out to not be the serial killer, then we get the case. If it is, then they are to take the primary lead and we are to help them,” Gibbs finished as he got into the charger and started the car. 

McGee and Tony rode together while Bishop rode with Gibbs. By the time they arrived at the crime scene, there were patrol officers everywhere, crime scene tape up, SID on scene, and detectives already investigating. Gibbs got out of the car and went straight to the patrol officer in charge of the log in sheet, while the rest of the team got their gear out of the cars.

“Tony,” McGee groaned, “I really don’t know how you haven’t run out of movie references to make.”

“What’s wrong, Mc-Grumpy-Pants? I thought you liked my never-ending knowledge of movies.”

Rolling his eyes, McGee turns to Bishop, “You are riding back with him.”

“Or I could ride with you and we could make him ride with Gibbs,” she supplied.

“Hey! No ganging up on me, probie!” Tony said as he slammed the trunk closed.

“You can ride back with us, Tony,” Jimmy Palmer said as he and Dr. Donald Mallard came up behind them.

“Thank you, Autopsy Gremlin, but I the last time I rode with you two, you got us lost,” Tony joked.

“He is getting better, Anthony,” Ducky cut in as he walked ahead of them and straight to the body, “But I have taken over the directions for a while until Mr. Palmer learns how to use a map.”

“What do you think, Duck?” Gibbs asked as he walked up behind the group.

“He has a stab wound to the chest, and two to the stomach,” Ducky said in his thick English accent, “It looks like he bled to death, but I will know more when we get him back.”

“Now wait just a damn minute!” Lieutenant Provenza called as he witnessed the feds taking over his scene, “This is our crime scene. As in the property of Major Crimes, so who are you and why are you here?”

Gibbs stepped forward and pulled out his badge, flipping it over to show his ID, “NCIS, Special Agents Gibbs. Our Director talked with your Chief and said that we are to share this crime scene. The victim is a Naval Officer which is why we have jurisdiction as well.”

“Chief Taylor talked to your Director?” Lieutenant Flynn asked from behind his partner. 

The rest of the team was now gathering round them as they took in the Navy cops in front of them.

“Yes,” Gibbs said passively, “This is your crime scene, but we are working it with Major Crimes.” 

“Fine! But our coroner is taking the body, not yours,” Provenza said grumpily before turning to the team behind him, “This is Lieutenant Flynn, Lieutenant Tao, Detectives Sanchez and Sykes, our tech guy Buzz Watson, and I’m Lieutenant Provenza.”

Gibbs nodded as did his team before he introduced everyone, “Special Agents Gibbs, Dinozzo, McGee, and Bishop, and our ME   
and his assistant Dr. Mallard and Jimmy Palmer.”

“You’ll meet the Chief and our Captain when we get back to the station,” Provenza then turned as Kendall arrived.

They spent about another hour at the scene going through evidence and collecting statements. When they were done, the NCIS team followed that of Major Crimes back to the station. As the rest of the group made their way into the Murder Room, Gibbs was directed to Chief Taylor’s office. 

“Agent Gibbs, I presume,” Taylor said as he hung up his phone and stood up to greet the silver haired agent. 

“Yes sir,” Gibbs said as he shook the hand that was offered to him.

“I have already talked to your director, and your team with be working alongside Captain Raydor’s team,” Taylor stated before sitting back down, “Anything that you find will be part of Major Crimes’ investigation if it is a part of our serial killer case. If not, you will just work as equals.”

Nodding, Gibbs headed out the door without waiting to be excused and headed in the direction that his team had gone earlier. As he entered the murder room, he could see both teams hard at work talking about the case. He could see a redhead at a whiteboard in the center of the room, but as she moved, her hair seemed to change color. Maybe she wasn’t a redhead. What caught him off guard was her voice. All of a sudden he was thinking back to his junior year of high school.

Stillwater, PA about 40 years ago

Leroy Gibbs was walking through the hallways of his small high school when his gym teacher/vice principal pulled him aside.

“Mr. Gibbs, will you follow me to my office please?” he said as he gestured towards the office.

Gibbs followed and soon found himself in the vice principal’s office along with a girl around his age with dark reddish hair, a slim figure, and amazing legs. She was beautiful, and he couldn’t figure out how he had never seen her before. He would have surly noticed someone as stunning as her. He was also confused as to why he was here. The last fight that he was in he was off school grounds and his dad had broken it up.

“Mr. Gibbs,” the VP started as he closed his door and sat behind his desk, “I would like you to meet Ms. O’Dwyer. As you know St. Catherine’s had a pipe line burst and we are therefore taking some of their students. Ms. O’Dwyer is one of them, and based on the class selection that she made, we think that you would be best suited to show her around.”

Gibbs turned to the girl and smiled, “Leroy Gibbs,” he said sticking his hand out.

“Sharon O’Dwyer,” she said as she took his hand and gently shook it. 

Her skin was soft and he didn’t realize that he was stroking the back of her hand until she cleared her throat and blushed. He smiled at her sheepishly and pulled his hand back. They left the VP’s office and he led her down the hallway and into the chemistry lab. The teacher looked u about ready to admonish him until she saw Sharon walk in behind him.

“Mrs. Barton,” he said as he approached the front of the classroom and softly introduced Sharon, “This is Sharon O’Dwyer. She is a transfer from St. Catherine’s.”

“Oh, alright,” Barton smiled at Sharon and beckoned her forward, “I am going to pair you with Mr. Gibbs, is that alright?”

“Yes Ma’am,” Sharon smiled kindly at the teacher, “That is fine.”

“Okay. Take your seats you two, and be sure to get the instructions from the side board for today’s experiment.”

They both headed to the middle of the class, where a bench was clear and ready for them. By the time they had finished their experiment and had already hit it off. 

“Okay, so it’s time for lunch,” Gibbs said as he led her down the halls to the locker she had been assigned that happened to be   
next to his, “We can sit out in the courtyard or go to the diner around the corner?”

“Are you asking me out on a date, Gibbs?” Sharon laughed as he leaned against the lockers, “We’ve only just met about two hours ago.”

“And what if I am?” he smiled at her as his bright blue eyes sparkled in amusement, “You are extremely beautiful, and I might   
want to try now before all of the other guys start to notice you.”

She snorted before nodding and closing her locker, “I will go to the diner with you, but as friends only.”

“Deal,” he chuckled and grabbed her books from her hands and carried them as they walked to the exit and towards the diner.

Lunch went well for the two of them, and they finally were able to talk about themselves and their families.

“My dad is a judge and my mom is a doctor,” Sharon said as she stole one of his French fries, “I have a younger sister and two older brothers. What about you?”

“My dad runs the market around the corner from City Hall and my mom passed away a while ago. I don’t have any siblings,” Gibbs said as he snatched a pickle off her plate.

“I’m sorry about your mother,” she said as she grabbed his hand in hers and held it for a while. 

Shrugging, he squeezed her hand and said, “She was sick, and I would rather her be gone and no longer have pain than be stuck here suffering.”

“Let’s change the subject,” she said without letting go of his hand, “Does everybody call you Gibbs?”

Laughing, he shook his head, “Yeah, I think people think it’s more normal than Leroy or Jethro.”

“Jethro?” she asked, “Is that your middle name?”

“Yeah,” he said.

“I like it,” she smiled down at their hands, “Can I call you Jethro?”

“You’ll be the only one,” he joked, “but I kind of like that.”

“Me too.”

They finished their lunch and went back to school just in time to making it into their history class. She sat next to him in every class now, and if she were being honest with herself, she loved it. As they were leaving the school, Jethro groaned as he saw Chuck Winslow and Ed Gantry walking towards them.

“These guys are going to be a pain in the ass,” he said as he tried to steer them away from the incoming confrontation.

“What do you mean?” Sharon asked as she followed his lead away from the two approaching boys.

“They are the local bullies, and I am their local punching bag,” he said with tension audible in his voice.

“Hey Gibbs!” Chuck called out to them, “You know it is against the law to harass women into dating you, right?”

“It should also be against the law for you to talk to them too,” Ed joined in.

“Just ignore them and keep walking, Sharon,” Gibbs ground out between clenched teeth.

“We’re talking to you,” Chuck yelled as he grabbed Gibbs’ arm and spun him around.

“Wow! Look at the piece he has on his arm Chuck!” Ed yelled as he ogled Sharon.

“Why don’t you come with us, baby? We will treat you better than the son of a store clerk,” Chuck said as he reached for her.

Gibbs threw the first punch and watched as Chuck fell to the ground, but soon he was hit by Ed as he came to the defense of his buddy. Sharon ran to get the VP who quickly broke up the fight, and after she explained the situation, Gibbs and her were free to go while Chuck and Ed had to report to detention.

“Thank you for defending me back there,” she said as she lightly brushed her shoulder against his.

“No problem. They can beat up on me all they want, but I was raised to not let a man lay a hand on a woman to harm her,” Gibbs said as he continued to rub his sore jaw.

“Let’s get you to your dad’s shop and get you cleaned up,” she said as she took his hand in hers and walked a bit closer to him.

By the time they got him cleaned up and his dad had scolded him enough, it was time for Sharon to head home. 

“Let me give you a ride,” Gibbs said as he stood up and grabbed the keys to the old truck.

“Thanks,” she smiled and followed him out back and let him help her into the car.

They rode in relative silence for the 10 minutes that it took them to get to her house. When they pulled up, Sharon leaned over and kissed him lightly on the cheek.

“You know,” she said collecting her things from the back seat, “I think I would like to try going to that diner again, but maybe as something more than friends.”

“I’d like that a lot too, Sharon,” Gibbs grinned and his blue eyes shimmered with glee, “Tomorrow after school?”

“It’s a date,” she said as she got out of the truck and closed the door behind her. 

Gibbs sat back in his seat and watched as the redhead who stole his heart disappeared behind her front door.

Present Day, Murder Room

They were still discussing the possibility that this murder was part of their serial killer’s pattern when Gibbs decided to speak up.

“Major Crimes can have the case for now while we figure out if it is the same guy,” he said watching as Sharon turned around and instantly recognized him, “When we find out what is going on, we can make adjustments then.”

“Uh, Captain,” Provenza stood up and gestured towards Gibbs, “This is…”

“Leroy Jethro Gibbs,” she breathed as she approached him slowly.

“Sharon O’Dywer Raydor,” he replied, “At least I am assuming that you are Captain Raydor.”

“Yes,” she said as she stopped in front of him.

“How are you, Sharon?” Gibbs asked softly.

“I’m good. What about you, Jethro?” she said as she brought her hand to his chest and smoothed out his jacket.

“A lot better now,” he smiled at her and followed her as she motioned for him to follow her into his office.

The other two teams watched the display of affection with confusion. Tony turned to Provenza before turning back to look at the office. The blinds snapped shut and everybody in the room stared at the door waiting to hear it lock, which it did soon after.

“Ex-wife number 3?” Bishop asked.

“Nope, that was Diane, and we met number 4,” McGee replied.

“Have we met ex number 2?” Tony asked without taking his eyes off the office.

“Yeah,” McGee said, “She was the one that we helped out when that guy was after her.”

“Oh, that’s right!” Tony said with even more confusion surfacing in his mind, “So, who is she?”

“Ex-wife number one?” Amy Sykes supplied.

“No!” all three of Gibbs team replied.

“His first wife died,” Tony said without giving any more detail.

“Well, they obviously know each other,” Flynn said just as perplexed as Tony.

“And the Captain has only been married once,” Provenza offered.

Julio threw his hand up only to realize that nobody could see him, “What if they know each other from when they were younger?”

“Where is the Captain originally from?” Tao asked as he pulled up a search window on his laptop.

“I know she is from the East Coast,” Flynn answered while walking over to Tao’s desk.

“And Gibbs is from Stillwater, PA,” McGee told them as he joined Flynn and now the rest of the group.

After several minutes of furious typing on Tao’s behalf, the two teams stood around Tao’s desk looking at a photo from a high school in Stillwater.

“Leroy Gibbs and Sharon O’Dwyer, Homecoming King and Queen,” Bishop read.

“They look pretty close,” Amy smiled at the picture of the two leaders smiling at the camera as Gibbs had his arm around   
Sharon, and she had her head on his shoulder.

“Well, this is going to be interesting,” Buzz said as he looked back to the closed office.


	2. Chapter 2: Finally Our Time

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sharon and Gibbs catch up

Sharon shut her door and blinds before thinking better of herself and locking the door. She turned around to see him standing in front of her desk taking in her office. She looked him up and down and had to admit that he looked good. Just as handsome if not more than the first day they met in the VP’s office. His hair had turned silver, but it suited him and made him look sexy. He had stayed in shape and from his past in the Marine Corps, she wasn’t too surprised. 

“So according to one of your team,” she said as she approached him, “His name is Very Special Agent Anthony Dinozzo. Does that make you Extremely Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs?”

He smiled and tilted his head to the side a bit before looking down at her, “Dinozzo is the only ‘very special’ one, and I am going to have to talk to him about hitting on my former girlfriend.”

"I was wondering why the other two rolled their eyes when he brought out that line,” Sharon giggled as he nodded. 

“That would be Dinozzo…You look good, Sharon,” Gibbs said softly as he looked at her.

She was wearing a dark blue dress that barely kissed the top of her knees, and a black blazer over the top. Her hair was lightly curled at the bottom and fell perfectly around her face. If time had touched her, it had done so with kit gloves. She looked just as gorgeous if not more than that day in the VP’s office. 

“So do you, Jethro,” she smiled softly, her eyes sparkling as well.

“I didn’t know that you and Jackson stayed in California,” he said, “I remember hearing that the two of you got married after college, but that was it. How is he?”

“We actually got divorced a few months ago,” she sighed, but he noticed how she didn’t seem to hold any regrets about it.

“What happened?” Gibbs asked as he watched her shake her head and move to sit on her couch.

“After we got married, I started to see who he really was,” she patted the couch for him to sit down, “He started drinking and gambling, and before I knew it, he was out more than he was at home. He left me with piles of debt and I had had enough. We separated 20 years ago, and I finally pulled the plug when I decided to adopt my son, Rusty.”

“Well, you have definitely been busy,” he chuckled, “I would have never thought that Sharon O’Dwyer would grow up to be a cop. I could see the lawyer part…you always did like to argue.”

She smacked his arm lightly, before propping her arm on the back of the couch and resting her head on her hand. 

“I heard about Shannon and Kelly,” she said softly, “I thought about flying out to the funeral, but I figured it wouldn’t be appropriate.”

“I would have liked to have you there,” he tilted his head, “I would have had somebody there that was on my side.”

“I’m guessing your father was there,” she hummed.

“With a new girl on his arm,” he said stoically, “but we worked it out. I am actually thinking about having him move out here with me.”

“I’d love to see him again,” she smiled.

“He always did love you,” he took her hand in his, “What do you say that we catch up later tonight at my place?”

“Are you asking me on a date, Gibbs?” she said with mock surprise, “We only just saw each other a few minutes ago.”

Chuckling, he squeezed her hand, “And what if I am? I figure I better ask you now before Dinozzo makes a move.”

“I’d love to, Jethro,” she says quietly, “I just have to text Rusty and let him know.”

“Okay,” he stands up and reaches in his pocket for his notepad and jots down something before he hands it to her, “Here is my address.”

She takes it from his hand and he helps her up from the couch, “What do you say we catch a murderer?”

“Right behind you, Captain,” he smiled.

“You better keep up, Gunny,” she teased back before walking to her door and unlocking it.

As they exited the office, they could see both of their teams scatter from around Tao’s desk. Mike quickly shut his laptop and turned to look at Sharon and Gibbs. The two leaders looked at each other and each raised an eyebrow as they silently agreed to get to the bottom of whatever this was. While her team took their seats and faced the murder board, his gathered next to McGee’s computer and waited for Gibbs to come closer to the screen.

“Whatta we got?” Gibbs asked as he came closer to him team and peered down at the computer screen.

“According to the fingerprints that Ducky ran from the body, our victim is Naval Petty Officer Carlos Macias. He was on leave for a week and a half before he was supposed to report for duty yesterday morning,” Bishop rattled off as she clicked the mouse and watched as their victim’s picture appeared on the screen.

Tony grabbed the mouse from her hand before clicking again, “When he didn’t report for the roll call, his CO reported him missing and that’s when the local police found him.”

“I ran his financials and phone records, Boss,” McGee took over control of the mouse, “Nothing seemed out of the ordinary except for a call from an unregistered number that came from a burner phone that was made the night that he died.”

“Do we have a time of death?” Gibbs asked.

Julio raised his hand and waited for Sharon to nod in his direction, “Ma’am, Doctor Morales called and he said that he should be ready by the time you get down there.”

“Alright, thank you, Julio,” she said as she turned to the murder board, “Do we have anything on this burner phone?”

“I can find out where it was purchased based on the serial number on the phone,” Tao supplied, “but unless they were stupid enough to pay with a credit card, then we are stuck.”

“Maybe the place will have cameras,” Flynn said as he leaned against his desk.

“And maybe pigs will fly and hell will freeze over,” Provenza grumbled from his desk, which earned him an eye roll from Flynn and a chuckle from Julio and Mike.

“Let’s track down the shop that sold the phone and see if we can tie any of this to our serial killer,” Sharon addressed her team.

“Dinozzo,” Gibbs started.

“Get in contact with the CO and see what he can tell us,” he said as he sat down at an empty desk, “on it boss.”

“Bishop,” Gibbs called out.

“Talk to family, friends, co-workers and see if he had any problems with anybody,” she nodded and pulled out her phone.

“McGee,” he said as he walked towards Sharon.

“I’ll work with Lieutenant Tao to track down the store and then call Abby and see if she has anything for us,” Tim said.

Gibbs nodded before following Sharon out of the Murder Room and towards the elevators that would lead them down to the Morgue. Gibbs pressed the button and they waited for the car to open before he gestured for her to go first.

“You have them trained well,” she laughed and lightly bumped his shoulder with hers.

“They know that I don’t want them to be dependent on others,” he said simply.

The ding of the elevator had them both stepping off and Sharon leading them to an area full of scrubs. She grabbed one and tossed it at him before she started putting on hers. He looked down at the blue green fabric in front of him before looking back up at her.

“Do we have to wear these?” he asked, still turning it over in his hands.

“Yes, Jethro,” she giggled, “Just put it on, and stop being a big baby.”

“Is this really coming from the girl that didn’t want to wear the plastic aprons in Ms. Barton’s Chemistry class because they made her look fat?” he teased, but began putting on the scrubs.

“No,” she turned around and silently asked him to tie the strings in the back, “This is coming from the woman that didn’t want to wear those aprons all those years ago.”

“Well,” he finished tying her in before tying his own, “This woman still looks good in anything.”

The sound of somebody clearing their throat made the both of them turn to the doorway to the autopsy room where Dr. Morales stood. 

“If the two of you are finished playing verbal grab ass,” Morales said with his usual snark, “I do have a dead body for the two of you to look at.”

Gibbs looked down at Sharon before turning back to Morales, “What can you tell us, Doc?”

“I’ve got some bad news actually,” Morales said as he looked Gibbs up and down before looking at Sharon.

“What kind of bad news?” She asked.

“The body does match a serial killer, but not the one we are most recently looking for,” Morales supplied hesitantly, “The stab wounds and their pattern are consistent with those of Phillip Stroh’s previous victims.”

“He’s back in LA?” Sharon gasped before pulling out her phone, “I have to call Rusty.”

“Sharon,” Gibbs turned back to her when he heard the panic and concern in her voice, “What’s wrong?”

“Stroh has tried to killed Rusty for putting him in prison, and he escaped a couple of months ago,” she frantically dialed, “He could be going after Rusty…and he’s not answering!”

“Come on, Gibbs headed back to the elevator and pressed the button for the garage, “I’ll drive, you keep trying to reach him.”

Sharon continued to dial Rusty’s number in hopes of getting an answer, but every attempt was met by a pre-recorded message. As they got into the car, Gibbs floored it and Sharon was sure that he was trying to break every single traffic law ever written, but at the moment he was getting her to Rusty. They pulled up in front of the College building just as the students were flooding out. Sharon instantly spotted Rusty and ran to him, Gibbs hot on her heels. 

“Rusty!” she yelled as he turned to her and saw that something was wrong.

“Sharon?” he looked at the man standing behind his mother and then back to her, “Who is this? What’s going on?”

“Rusty,” she pulled him to her, “I’ve been trying to get ahold of you for the past 20 minutes.”

“What happened?” he gently wrapped his arms around her as he listened to the fear in her voice.

“We have reason to believe that Stroh is back in town,” she pulled away from him and watched as he tried to keep the emotions from his face.

“I told you that I’m not going to let him rule my life, Sharon.”

“I know that Rusty, but there is no way that I am not going to put protection on you while we know that he is back and killing again,” she gestured to Gibbs car and started walking towards it, “I know that this is not what you want, but I don’t plan on letting Stroh get away this time.”

Rusty nodded and looked back to the man that was still silent beside Sharon, “Are you part of my new security detail?”

Gibbs let one of his customary smirks slide across his face before he looked to Sharon for an explanation. She rolled her eyes before bumping her shoulder with his.

“This is Special Agent Gibbs,” she said softly, “He works for NCIS here in LA and he was helping us with this case before we knew it was Stroh.”

“Before?” Gibbs unlocked the car and opened both the passenger side and back doors on his car, “I thought we agreed this was a joint investigation no matter what it turned out to be, Captain.”

“Jethro,” she waited for him to close their doors and walk around the car to get behind the wheel, “I know what we agreed, but we have been chasing this man for years…I really want to take the lead on this.”

Gibbs started the engine and pulled out onto the street and headed back to the office, “I never wanted to take the case away from you, Sharon. My team and I are at your disposal.”

“Thank you,” she gently placed her hand atop his and left it there. 

Rusty sat in the back and continued to watch as his adoptive mother and this Special Agent Gibbs comfortably sat in silence. He could tell that there was some kind of history between the two officers and Sharon obviously trusted this man, and there was something about him that made Rusty think that he could trust him too. By the time they made it back to the Murder Room, both teams were working to find out what was going on. 

“It turns out that our vic gave Stroh a hard time about hitting on a girl in a bar,” Flynn said as he gestured to footage that was cued up on Buzz’s laptop.

“It turns out that a few of Macias’ shipmates remembered him getting in a fight with Mr. Stroh last night, and they said that was the last they saw of him,” Bishop said as the two leaders watched the footage.

“Lieutenant Tao and I tracked down the store that sold the burner phone, and we have the footage cued up,” McGee brought his  
laptop down in front of them and hit play.

“So the place did have cameras,” Sharon hummed.

“They also had flying pigs and a frozen doorway to hell in the back, Ma’am,” Julio said while looking at an irritated Provenza.

“It turns out that a woman bought the phone,” Tao laughed at the look Provenza was shooting Julio and a chuckling Flynn, “We briefly talked to her and found out that she was Macias’ mistress.”

“Have we put out a BOLO for Stroh yet?” Gibbs asked as her turned to his team.

“Yes boss,” Dinozzo said as he stepped forward, “LAPD put out quite a few a couple of months back, but we put out a new one and included the military bases in the area. The local police are looking for him in a 30 mile radius of where we found the body and a 10 mile radius of that bar.”

“We also talked to some of Macias’ family and everything really does point to Stroh,” Sykes added, “Everybody liked him and his wife had no idea about the affair, so this all looks like a crime of opportunity instead of something premeditated.”

“Well, thank you, Sykes,” Provenza rolled his eyes before sitting down at his desk, “I think you just blew this case wide open.”

“Lieutenant,” Sharon lightly scolded without looking away from the screens in front of her, “Did we get anything from the lab?”

“Everything was clean,” Tony said as he looked to McGee for clarification.

“Abby called and said that it looked as if everything was wiped down and whoever did this made sure not to leave any trace evidence,” McGee rattled off.

“That is definitely his MO,” Flynn said from his desk.

Just then, Bishop’s phone rang and she answered, excusing herself from the rest of the group.

“Let’s get this video outside the bar cleaned up and see if we can get those shipmates in to get there official statements and get a few witnesses in case we do catch Stroh soon,” Sharon said as she turned towards her office.

“They’ve spotted him!” Bishop yelled as she hung up the phone and ripped a piece of paper off of her note pad, “He was near 4411 Los Feliz Blvd.”

Every member of Major Crimes turned to look at Sharon as Bishop held out the address. Gibbs looked around at her team watching her with concern in their eyes. He looked back at Rusty and thought the kid was about to be sick.

“That’s where you and Rusty live, isn’t it Sharon?” Gibbs said as he watched her nod before swallowing hard and looking at him.

“That’s the address for my Condominium,” she answered weakly.

“Dinozzo, Bishop, go meet with the patrol officers and bring this son of a bitch in,” Gibbs barked as her lead Sharon into her office before ushering Rusty in as well.

The rest of the occupants of Major Crimes began grabbing their coats as well and following Tony and Bishop, except for Buzz and McGee.

“Uh…what are you guys doing?” Bishop asked as she turned around to face the determined detectives. 

“We are going to make sure that we nail this asshole once and for all,” Provenza growled and led the way to the elevator. 

When they all arrived, Stroh was long gone, but they had found out that he had been inside the building and may have gone up  
to the Captain’s Condo. They didn’t find anything except for a video of him avoiding the cameras and standing outside her doorway. Other than that, there was no sign of him, and they were forced to come back empty handed. The murder Room was quiet when they got back, and Rusty and Gibbs were sitting at a desk talking about something when they all got back.

“Patrol lost him when we got there, and it looks like he went up to the Captain’s floor but he never entered her condo,” Julio said as he threw his jacket down.

“Where is the Captain?” Tao asked as he scanned the room.

Gibbs just tilted his head towards her office and they all turned when the door opened and Chief Taylor came out.

“I see we didn’t get him,” he said without even trying to hide his disappointment. 

“We’ll get him,” Flynn growled back.

“Just make sure you do it quick,” Taylor pointed back to the Captain, “We can’t spend much more money on protection.”

“Is that how the LAPD works?” Gibbs jumped up and walked straight for Taylor, coming to stop within an inch of his face, “You  
guys don’t protect your own unless your ass is on the line too?”

“Agent Gibbs,” Taylor took a slight step back, “Let me remind you that Major Crimes is in charge here and as Chief of-”

“And let me remind you that I don’t work for you,” Gibbs interrupted, “You won’t have to worry about spending money on protection for Captain Raydor and Rusty.”

“We aren’t going to let her go back to her place without protection,” Taylor scoffed.

“Good to know you care,” Gibbs hissed, “They won’t need protection because she has my team and I to do that. Plus, her team seems to be well beyond capable, unlike your patrol officers who were too busy relaxing in their cars to keep an eye on this guy.”

Sharon finally came out of the doorway to stand next to Gibbs and brought her hand to rest on his shoulder. He was tense, but he wasn’t out of control. He knew exactly what he was doing and saying, and he would let Taylor know that he meant business. 

“As you can see, Chief,” Sharon cut in before it could escalate any further, “Rusty and I will be just fine.”

“I want Stroh found, Captain,” Taylor said before he strode out of the Murder Room. 

“Well,” Sharon took a deep breath and turned to face everyone, “Why don’t we call it a day. We can’t do much and anything that we start now we would have to finish in the morning anyways.”

“Where are you going to stay, Captain?” Sykes asked gently.

“You and Rusty can stay with me if you want, Sharon,” Gibbs offered as he grabbed her jacket from inside her office and brought it to her along with her purse. 

“Is that okay with you, Rusty?” she turned to her son.

“Uh, sure,” he said, “We won’t need like, a security detail again, will we?”

“Nobody is going to get to either of you with Gibbs under the same roof,” Dinozzo joked before feeling a slap to the back of the head, “Just trying to tell the truth, boss.”

Gibbs ignored him as he helped Sharon into her coat, “I can have one put on the both of you if you feel you need one.”

“No thank you,” Rusty quickly answered, “I am perfectly fine staying with you.”

Gibbs nodded and Sharon said goodbye to her team before the three of them started to head for the elevator. 

Rusty felt somebody grab his arm and turned to see Dinozzo holding him back, “Do me a favor. I need you to see if you can find out how he gets the boats he builds out of his basement. See if you can see any patchwork or anything down there,” he whispered.

“What are you talking about?” Rusty asked confused.

“Gibbs,” Tony whispered again, “He builds boats in his basement, but none of us know how he gets them out. If you could find out, I’ll give you twenty bucks.”

“Tony!” Bishop broke in, “You can’t bribe him!”

“Come on,” he turned to her, “Aren’t you even a bit curious?”

“No,” she replied simply.

Both McGee and Dinozzo shook their heads and said “Liar” at the same time. Rusty walked back towards the elevators and couldn’t help but wonder how somebody goes about building a boat in their basement, but apparently, he was about to find out.


	3. Chapter 3: Learning to Build a Boat

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A little bonding time

As they were driving, Sharon realized that neither she nor Rusty had any clothes to wear. They would have to stop by the condo on their way to Gibbs’ house. She turned to him and couldn’t help but smile. He looked just like he did all those years ago, driving home after one of their late night dates. This time they were in his car and not his dad’s old truck.

“Jethro?” she hummed and lightly grabbed his hand.

He turned his head and smiled at her, waiting for her to say what she needed to say.

“We need to stop by my condo to get some clothes for tonight and tomorrow,” she saw his expression harden at the suggestion of going to her condo.

“I’ve got some old clothes that will get you both through tonight,” he said without taking his eyes off the road.

“Jethro, he’s gone. It’s fine,” Sharon insisted.

“We’ll go in the morning, Sharon,” Gibbs said as he pulled into the driveway of his house, “I’m not going to take any chances with you and Rusty. I don’t know who this guy is and I am not going to do anything until I have a handle on the situation.”

Sharon just nodded and thought back to the impulsive young man that used to get into fights without a second thought. He had definitely matured and grown, and she could not believe that they never reconnected after living here for so long. He put the car in park and got out before she could even get her seat belt off. He was instantly on her side of the car, opening both her and Rusty’s doors. He offered her his hand, which she took, before leading them towards the front door and into the house.

“You leave the front door unlocked?” Rusty asked as they walked into the living room, “Aren’t you afraid of somebody like   
breaking in or coming after you?”

“They probably know that if they walked in, they wouldn’t be walking out,” Gibbs smirked.

Sharon looked around the quiet home and could see him everywhere. It was simple and very minimal, but it worked. She had lived like this for a while right after Ricky left for college, and it suited her for some time before she bought the condo. She was caught off guard by his hands on her shoulders as he helped her remove her jacket, before he placed it on a coat rack in the corner.

“I’ll show you both around so you don’t have to stand awkwardly in my living room,” he joked and watched as Sharon blushed and Rusty just shrugged his shoulders.

He took them upstairs first and pointed to the bathroom before coming to a halt outside a bedroom door. When he opened it, Sharon could tell that nobody had stayed in there for a while, but it was kept clean and fresh. 

“Rusty, you can stay in here, and you’ll be right across from the bathroom,” Gibbs said before turning around and leading them back into the hallway. 

They headed for the very last door on the right, and Gibbs opened the door to let Sharon in. It was a little bigger than her master bedroom in the condo, and the closet was a lot smaller, but it was cozy. There were a few pieces of furniture and the bed was a king size with a simplistic comforter and pillow set. The thing was it looked as if nobody had slept in here in a while either.

“You can have this room, Sharon,” he smiled at her.

She nodded before she realized that she did not see any other doors while they were walking around, “Where are you going to sleep? Are these the only bedrooms?”

“If I sleep tonight, I’ll probably end up on the couch,” he said casually.

Sharon decided to bring up the ‘if’ and the issue of the couch later when Rusty was busy or asleep. She set her purse on the bed as Gibbs walked over to a door on the back wall.

“There is a small bathroom right here,” he opened the door, “and I am pretty sure that there are some extra toothbrushes   
under either this sink or the one in the hall bathroom.”

“Thank you, Jethro,” she smiled softly as he moved around the room, pulling open drawers and closet doors.

When he was done rummaging around, he turned first to Rusty, “Here are some old pajama bottoms and an old t-shirt you can borrow. If anything doesn’t fit or you don’t feel comfortable in something, let me know.”

“These will be perfect, thank you,” Rusty took the clothes and walked out into the hallway.

Gibbs then turned to her, “I didn’t keep much of Shannon’s clothes, and what I did keep wouldn’t be comfortable to sleep in,” he handed her an old NIS t-shirt and some sweatpants, “I also have a long sleeve t-shirt if you need it. I know you used to get cold at night, but the comforter is pretty heavy.”

“I’m sure these will be just fine, Jethro,” she stepped forward and placed her free hand on his chest, “So what did you say about ‘if’ you were able to sleep?”

Smirking before turning his head to the side, he chuckled, “With our jobs, you know it can be hard to turn off your brain, even if the rest of you is about ready to shut down.”

“That’s usually when I pull out a glass of wine and soak in a hot bath,” Sharon rolled her eyes, “What’s your glass of wine, Jethro?”

Instead of answering, he walked out of the bedroom before stopping in the hallway, “When you and Rusty are done getting changed, I’ll show you the rest of the house.”

Sharon let him shut the door behind him before she quickly got changed into the comfortable clothes he had given her. The NIS shirt smelled just like him and she couldn’t help but think about all of the nights they had spent curled up in the bed of his father’s pick-up watching movies at the drive-in. When she would get cold, he would hand her his sweater and then pull her close and cover her in a blanket as well. 

 

By the time she was down, Rusty was already downstairs looking for Gibbs, “Did he really just leave us?”

Sharon laughed before joining him in the living room, “He is probably getting ready for bed as well.”

And sure enough, Gibbs came into the living room wearing a Marine Corps sweater and jeans. 

“I don’t have much in my kitchen, so how do you two feel about take-out?” he asked, already pulling out his phone.

“Sounds good to me,” Rusty smiled.

“Just as long as it is not another burger,” she said as her nose wrinkled.

“Do you still like Tai food?” Gibbs asked her as he walked into the kitchen and rummaged through a few drawers before finding what he was looking for.

“I do, and Rusty happens to like it almost as much as burgers,” she smiled.

“I could never love anything more than burgers, Sharon,” Rusty teased, “It’s just not possible.”

Nodding, Gibbs handed them the menu that he had retrieved from the drawer, “This place has some of the best Tai food I’ve ever had. I think you will both like it.”

After each of them had placed their order, it took a little over a half hour for the food to arrive and for Gibbs and Sharon to argue over who was paying. Sharon had barely gotten her wallet out before Gibbs had paid the guy and ushered him out the door.

“Why did you do that?” she said, a bit annoyed, “You have already offered us a place to stay and clothes. You should not be paying as well.”

“It’s already done, Sharon,” Gibbs replied as he handed food to Rusty, who dished it out for everyone. 

“You were always a pain when it came to paying for things,” she huffed and decided to sit down.

Gibbs just tipped his head to the side and placed their silver wear in front of them. Once everyone was sitting down and had begun eating, Rusty looked between the two adults who seemed extremely comfortable in each other’s company.

“So,” he broke the silence, “how exactly do you two know each other?”

Gibbs looked at Sharon while he continued to eat. This was her son and therefore her decision to tell him.

“Jethro and I went to high school together,” she answered while trying to hide the sudden blush that was fighting its way across her cheeks, “We actually…um, we were…together.”

Gibbs was trying hard not to laugh at the embarrassed mess that was Sharon. She had always been shy when it came to dating and her personal life. Although there were a few occasions where she stood up for their relationship, she still liked to keep it private. Watching as she told her teenaged son about their past was more amusing than he could have ever imagined. The fact that Rusty seemed to be enjoying this little piece of information more than he was, didn’t help him hide the amusement either.

“You can say that the two of you dated, Sharon,” Rusty laughed, “How long were the two of you a couple.”

“Junior and Senior year of high school,” Gibbs answered.

“Was she as strict back then as she is now?” Rusty asked before a mischievous smile crossed his face, “Or was she a wild and rebellious teenager?”

That earned his a smile from Gibbs and a gasp from Sharon, “Rusty!”

“Well, she did like the rules,” Gibbs started, “But there are definitely quite a few times where she was not the perfect little girl.”

“You know that’s an exaggeration, Jethro,” she threw her napkin at her.

“What about junior year at Marcus Smith’s party? Or that night at the camp grounds 20 minutes from town? Or that time we were caught in the back of the pick-up-”

Sharon pointed her fork at him, “If you finish that sentence, they will never find the body,” she threatened.

“As much as embarrassing Sharon delights me, I don’t think I want you to finish that sentence either,” Rusty shuddered.

“Serves you right,” Sharon laughed.

They cleared the table quickly when they were done, and Gibbs dipped into the freezer to pull out some ice cream for Rusty and Sharon.

“You keep ice cream in your freezer?” Sharon smiled at the strange thought of the tough Leroy Jethro Gibbs keeping ice cream   
in his freezer for after difficult cases.

“I had a kid staying with me for a while back during a case and he never finished them,” Gibbs shrugged before heading towards the basement, “Are you any good at word working, Rusty?” he called over his shoulder from the doorway leading to the basement.

Rusty looked to Sharon, who was just as confused as he was, and they both decided to follow him. As they crossed the threshold of the room, the first thing they both noticed was the smell of wood. The second thing they noticed was the very beginnings of a boat. The ribs were exposed and it looked like some of the siding was in place. 

“He wasn’t kidding,” Rusty mumbled.

“Who wasn’t kidding?” Sharon startled him from his thoughts.

“One of the guys from Agent Gibbs’ team,” Rusty explained, “He wanted to know how Gibbs gets the boats out, and I thought he was crazy. Apparently not.”

“This is my glass of wine, Sharon,” Gibbs called to the two of them still frozen in wonder on the stairs.

“That’s a pretty big glass of wine, Agent Gibbs,” Rusty said.

“You can just call me Gibbs, if you want to Rusty,” he said before pulling out his sander and saw, “Do you want to learn how to put the siding on a boat?” 

“Sure,” Rusty said with excitement in his voice.

Sharon smiled as she watched him hurry down the steps and meet Gibbs at the boat. Gibbs showed him how to measure and cut and the bend the wood to lay flat against the ribs of the boat. By the time they had put a good portion of the siding on, Rusty looked exhausted. 

“Do you think I could help you again sometime, Gibbs?” he asked as he started to walk up the stairs to the rest of the house.

“Whenever you want to help, just let me know,” Gibbs nodded and watched him smile before he said a quiet goodnight and was gone.

“Thank you for letting him help you,” Sharon whispered as she ran her hands across the boat.

“He’s a good kid, Sharon,” he said simply, handing her a sander, “Do you want to try your hand at building a boat?”

A girlish grin took over her face and all she could do was nod. He turned her around to face the boat and walked up behind her, bringing his hands to his and guiding their hand to the side of the boat. His arms were wrapped around her as he slowly began sanding down the side of the boat with her.

“Just remember to go with the grain,” he whispered into her ear.

They continued to work on the boat together, but after a while Gibbs could tell that something was on her mind.

“What’s wrong, Sharon?” he pulled away so that she could face him.

She hesitated for a minute, “Would you have stayed?” she waited for him to respond, but when he didn’t, she continued, “If I   
had stayed in Stillwater, you have as well? Would that have made everything better? Would we have ended it like we did?”

Gibbs knew exactly what she was talking about, and he could remember it like it was yesterday.

3 Days Before Graduation

Sharon ran into Jethro’s arms as he swung her around, “I can’t believe they took me! I’m going to California!” she giggled loudly.

“They would be stupid not to take you,” Jethro kissed her before gently placing her back on the ground.

“Hmmm,” she smiled up at him, “What do you say we go out tonight?”

Jethro looked away from her before looking down at the ground, “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

Sharon pulled away confused and hurt, “What do you mean?”

“Sharon,” he sighed, “I have to tell you something.”

He lead her over to a bench near-by and had her sit down next to him before he started, “I know that we talked about me maybe coming out to California in a bit, but I can’t.”

“I thought you wanted to come with me?” she said, already fighting back tears.

He knew this wasn’t going to be easy, but it had to be said, “I enlisted in the Marine Corps.”

“You WHAT?!” she jumped up from the bench.

“I enlisted, and I leave the day of graduation,” he said solemnly.

“Why didn’t you tell me?!” she screamed, “Why didn’t you say you were thinking about this?”

“I thought you would be proud of me for doing something like this,” Jethro groaned back as he too stood up.

“You don’t get it do you, Jethro?” she cried, “I’m not upset with you enlisting, and I am proud of you, but that’s not the   
problem…The problem is that this is the first time I am even hearing about this. You never once brought it up and said that you were thinking about this. You tell me after the fact as if I mean absolutely nothing to you. Am I really worth so little in your eyes?”

Jethro was about to say something to comfort her, but her father’s words came back to his mind, “You’re off to California, so what do you care? You can go run off with some other guy and leave my life the hell alone!” he blurted out.

As he said those words, he saw the pain and sadness they caused in her eyes. As much as he wanted to reach out and tell her everything and how he really felt, he couldn’t get her father’s voice out of his head. 

Tears streaming down her face, Sharon looked him in the eye, “I can’t believe you did this, Jethro. Out of everybody in my life that I thought I could count on, you were my number one. I lo-” she cut herself off before she could finish and shook her head, “You don’t deserve to know how I felt about you. Goodbye, Jethro.”

She was gone before she could see him shed a tear, but maybe it was for the best. 

Present

“Staying wasn’t an option for me,” he said as he caressed her cheek.

“My father told me what he said to you all those years ago,” she took his hand in hers, “He told me one night after Jack had abandoned us again. He said that maybe if he had held his tongue, things would have turned out differently.”

Shaking his head, Gibbs pulled her close to him, “He was just trying to protect his little girl.”

She wound her hands behind his neck and pulled his face down towards hers, “I can take care of myself.”

She then lightly pressed her lips to his, and the passion from years ago was reignited. They were each fighting each other to deepen the kiss even further, and when they finally ran out of air and broke apart, they were panting heavily. She rested her forehead on his chest and just listened as his rapidly beating heart attempted to go back to normal. 

“Even better than I remember,” he laughed, only to be swatted on the chest by her. 

“I missed you, Jethro,” she breathed.

“I missed you too, Sharon,” he placed a soft kiss on her forehead.

They would have somethings to work through after they solved this case, but right now, they were too busy relearning the feeling of being with each other.


	4. Chapter 4: Together Again

Sharon looked at the man sleeping next to her and smiled. His hair was a bit messed up from lying on the couch pillow and he had one hand behind his head and the other was around her waist. The TV was still on and an old western movie was playing across the screen. She used to wake up all the time like this with him. They would curl up on the couch at either of their houses and watch old westerns while talking. 9 times out of 10, they would end up asleep and the other one time they would have to say goodnight and part ways. 

She heard his breathing change as he begun to wake up, and she placed a soft kiss on the tip of his nose. He smiled and tightened his arm around her, slowly opening his eyes. She smiled back at him and gently kissed his lips, which he instantly responded to, and they were soon making out on the couch like a couple of teenagers. Her arms wound up and around his neck as his hands caressed her back. She rolled all the way on top of him and moaned when his hands traveled south and grabbed her ass. 

“We should probably stop before Rusty wakes up,” she panted against his lips, “I don’t want to scar him for life.”

“I think you are a little late,” he chuckles against her lips. 

She pulls back and looks at him confused and goes to ask him what he is taking about when movement out of the corner of her eye makes her turn. Rusty is standing there with a look between amusement and horror stuck on his face.

“Rusty!” she yells and quickly jumps off of Gibbs and the couch, “I-I didn’t know you were up.”

“Obviously,” Rusty says sarcastically, “I’m just surprised it took you two this long. The way you two were looking at each other last night, I thought I was going to have to like…lock you in a room together or something.”

“Rusty!” she scolded and tried to hide the slight blush she could feel starting.

“It’s fine, Sharon,” Gibbs chuckled and got off the couch, “I have cereal and I think some pancake mix that may or may not be bad,” he said as he made his way into the kitchen.

Rusty helped him look through the cupboard and they found the pancake mix that was still good. Rusty offered to cook and Gibbs began making the coffee for everybody. When Sharon asked what she could do, he asked her to get cups out of a cabinet he pointed to. She nodded and opened the door, but stopped when she saw two letter carved into the wood. Lightly tracing the two letters, she couldn’t help the sharp inhale of breath that escaped her.

“What’s wrong, Sharon?” she heard Gibbs ask from behind her.

She just shook her head as he placed his hand on her shoulder. When he saw what she was staring at, he squeezed her shoulder and grabbed three cups from the cabinet before closing the door. The “KG” carved into the door was one of the reasons he kept his mugs in that particular cabinet. He liked to be reminded of his little girl every time he went to grab a cup of coffee. Gibbs felt a hand in the center of his shoulder blades and turned to see tears in her jade eyes.

“Sharon, are you okay?” Rusty asked as he set down the spatula and stepped closer to his foster mother.

“I’m fine, Rusty,” her voice hitched when she said his name, which only made him step closer.

“Sharon?” he asked again.

Gibbs pulled her to him, and held her close, “She saw my daughter’s initials carved into the cabinet door,” he explained.

Rusty seemed to think for a minute before turning back to the pancakes and asking him the question Gibbs new was coming, “Do you mind me asking what happened to her?”

“My wife and daughter were killed in car accident by the man my wife was testifying against,” Gibbs said calmly.

Rusty was taken aback by the specifics, and he realized why Sharon would be broken up by the initials. How many times did she worry that he would be killed by Stroh? How many nights did she stay up making sure that every door and window was locked and secure? How many call and text had he gotten from her checking in to ensure that he was safe? Seeing those initials reminded her of not only Gibbs’ loss, but what she might lose if everybody isn’t careful.

“I’m sorry, Gibbs,” he said softly, “I didn’t mean to like, make-”

“Rule number 6, never apologize, it’s a sign of weakness,” Gibbs said and handed him three plates.

Sharon pulled away from his chest to scoff at him, “You have rules now? Where were those when we were dating?”

“You taught me that one actually,” he smiled and helped Rusty set the table.

Rusty brought the food to the table, while Gibbs brought the coffee, and Sharon helped Rusty plate everything. Gibbs pulled out Sharon’s chair and then sat across form her so that Rusty was at the head of the table.

“I taught you not to apologize?” Sharon laughed.

“Remember when you punched Ed after he hit on you at the football game?” he saw Rusty turn to Sharon with a look of awe on his face, “And when the principal asked you to apologize, you explained what happened and said that you would never apologize for not being weak and putting up with pigs like Ed? Rule 6 was born, but I only started using them when I worked for NIS.”

“Do you have a rule for everything?” Rusty asked, barely hiding his laughter behind his mug.

Gibbs smirked and started to cut up him pancakes, “I’m sure Dinozzo will be happy to tell you all of them.”

“Which one is Dinozzo?” Rusty asked.

“The one that told you to spy on me and figure out how I get the boats out,” Gibbs said calmly.

“How did you know about that?” Rusty looked shocked, and then he turned to Sharon, “Did you tell him?”

Sharon threw her hands up and shook her head, “I didn’t tell him anything.”

Rusty looked back to Gibbs and stared at him for a bit, “Is there any way I can watch you interrogate somebody?”

“That would be a question for her,” Gibbs motioned to Sharon, “but I don’t have a problem with it.”

“Of course you wouldn’t have a problem with it,” Sharon rolled her eyes, “You don’t have a rule against children watching interrogations?”

Gibbs shrugged, “I figure if I let Dinozzo watch, I might as well let Rusty learn something.”

Sharon laughed and watched as Rusty smiled and continued to ask Gibbs questions about interrogations and anything else he could think of. He was never this interested in any of the Major Crimes team except for when he asked them why they joined the force. It was nice to see him so happy instead of trying to act as if he wasn’t worried about Stroh. She caught Gibbs staring at her, and she gave him a small smile before excusing herself from the table to freshen up for the day.

She took a quick shower and used what little makeup she had in her purse to get ready. After staring at the clothes that she slept in, she decided to just wear them over to the condo and then change there. She wouldn’t admit it, but she really wanted to keep at least the shirt for as long as she could. She could always hide it in her purse, but he would surely know that she took it when he couldn’t find it later. If she wore it home he couldn’t do anything about it. By the time she made it down stairs, Rusty was already showered and dressed in his clothes from yesterday and Gibbs was wearing his usual collared shirt, slacks, jacket and boots. 

“Is it casual dress day at the office, Sharon?” Rusty laughed at her attire.

This was the first time he had ever seen her dressed like this with her hair and makeup done and still wearing something like sweats. 

“No,” she smiled, “but my clothes are wrinkled and I figured since we are stopping by the condo to change, I could-”

“Pack,” Gibbs corrected.

“Pack?” she looked at him confused.

“I wasn’t joking when I said that I was going to make sure that you and Rusty were safe,” he said, not looking away from her, 

“You guys aren’t going back there until we catch this guy.”

“Jethro, we can’t stay here the entire time he is free. We haven’t been able to catch him, and it’s been months since he escaped!”

“Trust me, Sharon,” he grabbed his keys and wallet off of the table next to the door, “You won’t have to wait that long.”

“You don’t know what he is like,” she argued.

“And he doesn’t know what I am like either. How about we make a deal?” Gibbs offered.

“Trust me,” Rusty interrupted, “you do not want to make a deal with her. She always wins and you’re stuck wondering how that happened.”

Gibbs chuckled, “If we don’t catch him in 4 days, I’ll let you guys go back to the condo.”

Sharon thought it over for a second before she nodded, “Deal.”

With that they were all out the door and headed for the condo. Gibbs got them to the condo and parked in the garage before   
helping Sharon out of the car. 

“I’ll wait down here,” Gibbs said as he helped her retrieve her bag from the back seat.

“You don’t have to stay down here,” Sharon took her purse from him.

“You two go ahead,” he assured, “I have a few phone calls to make any ways.”

“Okay,” she placed a soft kiss on his cheek, “We shouldn’t be too long.”

Gibbs nodded and sat back in his car as Sharon caught up to Rusty at the elevator. 

“So you and Gibbs, huh?” Rusty teased as he pressed the button for their floor.

Suddenly, Sharon got serious, “Rusty, I swear that I didn’t know this was going to happen. If it makes you uncomfortable, let me know and we will stop.”

“Sharon,” he sighed, “I was only teasing you. I like Gibbs so far and you two obviously like each other. It does make me a little uncomfortable, but isn’t that what is supposed to happen when you see your mom making out on the couch?”

Sharon smiled at the word ‘mom’ and pulled him into a side hug, “I promise you, it will not be going anywhere until we figure this thing with Stroh out.”

The elevator dings and they step off and onto their floor and head to their home and quickly go in.

“I know that you are worried about Stroh,” Rusty said, stopping her in the hallway, “but I told you that I am not going to let him ruin my life, and you shouldn’t let him ruin yours either. I’m not saying that you should like go out and marry Gibbs, but you should at least be happy with somebody else. He makes you happy, Sharon, and you make him happy.”

She had to fight back the urge to pull him into a hug and hold him, so she just settled for placing her hands on his shoulders, 

“I will try to keep that in mind, but remember that I will never stop worrying about you.”

“Aren’t we supposed to be packing or something?” he laughed and went off towards his room.

Sharon smiled at her son and went into her room to start packing. As she entered her bedroom, something felt off. She stopped in the doorway and surveyed the room. The books on her bedside table were wrong, and the jewelry box on top of the dresser was moved. She continued to look around the room, but nothing else seemed out of the ordinary. She brushed it off and went into her closet to find a large suitcase before she began loading it full of everything she would need. Once that was done, she headed into her bathroom to get the last of her makeup and any other toiletries.

She pushed the door open and was suddenly grabbed around the waist as a hand came up to silence her scream of surprise. She was dragged into the bathroom as the door was closed and locked. She was spun around so that she was facing the mirror, and she stopped moving all together when she saw Phillip Stroh staring back at her. He had a menacing look in his eyes, and she noticed for the first time that the hand around her waist was holding a knife. 

“I bet you thought you were safe when they spotted me and came rushing over to check,” he chuckled into her ear, “The thing is, it really isn’t that hard to get past a police detail when they are busy searching the whole city for you.”

His arm tightened, and she could feel the handle on the knife digging into her ribcage. She tried to pull away, but he simply shook his head and pulled her further into him. Reaching into her pocket for her phone was impossible without him noticing in the mirror, otherwise she would have called Gibbs and gotten Rusty out of the condo. She opened her mouth to see if he would let her talk.

He leaned in, “If you try to warn Rusty, I will not hesitate to kill you,’’ he said sternly.

“You know that I am not going to let you anywhere near my son,” Darth Raydor appeared.

He grinned at her, “I’m sure you won’t, but Rusty would do anything for you.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” she tried to pull away, but he brought the knife higher.

“Your son,” he sneered, “Would willingly give his life to save yours, and I intend to capitalize on that.”

Sharon elbowed him in the chest and reached for the hand holding the knife. Twisting his wrist, she got the knife away from him and punched him in the nose. Unfortunately, it was not enough to catch him off balance, and he lunged for her as she turned to pick up the discarded knife. She was thrown against the vanity and lost her hold on the knife, but it was far enough away that Stroh couldn’t reach it either.

Suddenly, there was a banging on the front door to her condo, and Sharon knew it had to be Gibbs. She felt Stroh push her to the floor and jump up to run out the bathroom door. She got up as quick as she could and followed him into her bedroom. She stopped and grabbed her gun from her purse before cautiously walking out into the hallway. Gibbs was still banging on the door and calling her name, and before she could get to the door, she heard the lock turn and he was in, gun drawn. She came around the corner to see him scanning the living room, and pointed to the right so that he could clear the kitchen while she cleared the rest of the living room. They both made their way to the balcony and saw a rope ladder leading to the balcony below. 

“Damn it!” Sharon yelled, “I can’t believe I let him get away!”

“We’ll get him, Sharon,” Gibbs said as he holstered his gun.

“Where’s Rusty?” she suddenly panicked when she realized that he was nowhere to be seen. 

“He heard something going on and didn’t know what to do so he called me,” Gibbs said before calling him into the condo, “I told him to wait outside for me.”

“Sharon?” Rusty asked as he walked into the condo.

“Rusty!” she walked to him and pulled him to her.

“What happened?” Rusty hugged her, “I just heard a door slam and figured something was wrong when I couldn’t hear anything else.”

“Stroh was here, but he’s gone now,” she ran her hand through her hair, “Wait, how did you get in here?” she asked Gibbs.

In answer, he held up a small black pouch that had several small metal instruments that Sharon recognized as tools to pick a lock. She raised an eyebrow at him and watched as he simply tucked them back into his jacket.

“Let’s get back to the station,” Gibbs said as he looked them over, “I have somethings I need to check out and I want the two of you safe.”

Sharon shook her head, “Jethro, I am not going to just sit back while you take my case from me. Phillip Stroh is mine.”

“I promise you that I am not going to go after Stroh without letting you know,” Gibbs picked up the bags that were piled up in the hallway, “but until then I am going to make sure that you are safe.”

“I can take care of Rusty and myself, Agent Gibbs,” she said channeling Darth Raydor.

“Having Rusty followed by a security detail that can be spotted from a mile away is not keeping him safe,” Gibbs threw back as he turned to face her.

Based on the look of shock on her face, he knew that she thought he hadn’t noticed them. When they had pulled up to pick up Rusty, he had clearly seen three younger men scan the area for potential danger, and that was a dead give-away. 

“You were having me followed?” Rusty scoffed.

“If the events of today are anything to go by, you needed that protection, Rusty,” Sharon said gently, hoping to ease his outrage. 

“Why didn’t you tell me, Sharon?” Rusty began grabbing his stuff, “I told you that I didn’t want protection. I didn’t want to be followed around all the time. Stroh is not going to be in charge of my life!”

“I couldn’t just let you go around without protection while Stroh is free,” she argued.

“But I told you that I didn’t care, Sharon! I’m tired of not being able to live my life,” Rusty yelled, “But you had to go behind my back and put protection on me. Why are they only following me? Why not you, too?”

“Rusty,” Sharon stepped towards him, but he backed away, “I was worried about you, and the protection was the only way to make me feel as if I was protecting you.”

“But I don’t want the protection, Sharon!” he turned towards the door and yelled over his shoulder, “And you couldn’t live with that because you always have to get your way.”

With that, Rusty walked out the door, slamming it behind him. Sharon went to go after him, but Gibbs stopped her. 

“Give him some time,” he said softly.

“He’s right,” she shook her head before sitting on the couch, “I did what I wanted and not what he asked of me.”

Gibbs came around the couch to join her, “You did what you had to do to protect your son.”

Sharon moved closer to him and leaned her head onto his shoulder, “We need to go after him.”

Gibbs let out a quick puff of air that she assumed was a chuckle, “I called Dinozzo earlier and he is downstairs ready to grab him.”

Sharon looked up at him and placed her hand on his chest, “Thank you.”

He nodded and pulled her into his chest, “I’ll drop you off at the station and then take him back to the college. I’ll have Bishop and Dinozzo keep an eye on him.”

She hugged him and laughed, “You always did know how to take care of me.”

Gibbs just held her for a bit before his phone rang, “Yeah, Gibbs.”

“Hey boss, I got the kid and he seems to have calmed down a bit,” Dinozzo’s voice came through the phone.

“We’ll be right there,” he hung up and gently ran a hand through Sharon’s hair.

“I know that we have this case,” Sharon sat up, “but I want to talk to you tonight.”

Gibbs tilted his head and gave a curt nod. She smiled up at him and placed a gentle kiss on his cheek before pulling away and   
standing up.

“Your team is already on their way to process your condo again,” he said as he helped pick up her things.

Sharon let out a small sigh, “I think they are seeing more of my condo than I ever wanted them to.”

With that, they left the condo and headed down to the car and Rusty.


	5. Chapter 5: A Promise to Keep

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The search for Stroh continues.

Sharon was in her office trying hard not to think about the fact that she had let Stroh get away again. He was inches away from her and she had let him slip through her fingers. What would have happened if Rusty hadn’t heard anything and called Gibbs? What would have happened if Stroh was hiding in Rusty’s room? She shook her head and tried to get back to work, but a knock at her door made her forget about her work completely. 

“Sharon,” Andrea Hobbs came into her office, “word is you have a new hunk and he is in the station.”

Sharon rolled her eyes before gesturing for Andrea to take a seat, “Is there really no such thing as privacy here?”

“Not when you locked yourself and this silver haired fox in your office and closed the blinds in front of Flynn and Provenza,” she said dryly.

“Silver haired fox?” Sharon blushed.

“Morales’ words,” Andrea supplied, “not mine. Although, the way he described him, I am inclined to agree. Now, stop avoiding the question. Are you or are you not seeing him?”

“Andrea!” Sharon scoffed as the blonde simply shrugged and gestured for her to continue, “We are not officially seeing each other, no.”

“Unofficially?” Andrea probed with a smile.

“We are just testing the waters,” Sharon tried to play it down, “It’s been over 30 years since we broke up-”

“So the rumors are true!” Andrea practically shrieked in excitement, “You two were an item!”

“What rumors?” 

“Just that you two were together in high school and were even crowned Prom king and queen,” she said gleefully.

“How did they find that out?” Sharon whispered to herself, but Andrea still heard her.

“Apparently, there was a photo of the two of you on Prom night that your teams found online,” she smirked at the baffled expression on the Captain’s face.

Sharon was about to respond when Agent McGee and Sykes came into her office, “We may have found something in your condo.”

“What happened in your condo?” Andrea asked as she looked at her friend.

“Stroh was there when Rusty and I went to pack our things,” Sharon explained quickly, “I’m surprised you didn’t hear about it considering how fast other news has spread,” she raised her eyebrow at her friend.

“Everyone is okay, right?” Andrea asked urgently.

“We are,” Sharon reassured, “Jethro interrupted him before anything could happen.”

“Jethro?” Andrea asked confused.

“Special Agent Gibbs,” Sharon added quickly, hoping Andrea didn’t read too much into her slip up.

“Um, Captain Raydor?” McGee prompted.

“Oh, I’m sorry Agent McGee,” Sharon said, turning to the young man, “You were saying.”

“That’s alright, Captain. We found some dirt in your kitchen that we believe came from the bottom of Stroh’s shoes. We sent it down to our lab and Abby was able to get a general location he might be hiding out.”

“I’m sorry. Who is Abby?” Sharon tried to think if she had heard the name before.

“Abby is our Forensic Scientist,” Gibbs’ voice startled her.

Sharon turned to see him in the doorway on the opposite side of her office. He had a smirk on his face and was casually leaning against the door frame.

Andrea walked straight to him and held out her hand, “Andrea Hobbs, DDA…You must be Special Agent Gibbs.”

Gibbs shook her hand and gave her a small smile, “That would be me.”

“I have to say,” Andrea smiled and tilted her head to the side, “I didn’t think it was possible for you to look better than I was told, but you definitely put my imagination to shame.”

Sharon cleared her throat and gave Hobbs a look that clearly told her to tone it down, “So we have a possible hide out for Stroh?”

“Yes, Captain,” Amy cut in, handing her a file, “This is the lab’s analysis of the dirt. We can go check it out right now.”

“Alright,” Sharon scanned the file, “There are four areas that we need to search, so we should split up into teams.”

“I can cover one area,” Gibbs offered, “That way we can keep Bishop and Dinozzo with Rusty.”

“Okay,” Sharon headed out the door that Gibbs was standing in and turned right towards the murder room, “We have four possible locations that we need to check out,” she walked to the front of the room by the murder board, “Mike and Lieutenant 

Provenza, here is your area to scan,” she handed Provenza a sheet of paper, “Amy and Julio,” she handed Sykes another piece of paper.

“Lieutenant Flynn,” Gibbs handed him his sheet, “I will have McGee go with you.” 

“And Agent Gibbs and I will cover the final area,” Sharon said as she folded up the sheet and handed it to him, “We know what Stroh is capable of, so vests are a must. I want everyone to be careful and no risky moves, understood?” 

The whole room echoed with the response “Yes Captain,” then she nodded and head for her office. She grabbed her gun, badge, and keys and turned to see Gibbs looking down at the address they were given.

“This is pretty far out of town,” he said, “Maybe I should drive.”

Sharon laughed before putting her keys back on her desk, “Jethro, you can drive but only under one condition.”

“And what would that be?” he chuckled.

“You are not allowed to break any laws,” she said seriously.

“You always a stickler for the rules,” he stepped closer to her, “At least when it counted.”

“I had to choose my moments,” she smiled up at him, “There were times when I couldn’t possibly break the rules…but I will always wonder what would have happened had I gone against my father’s wishes.”

“We will never know,” he said softly before he tilted his head towards the door, “If you don’t want me exceeding the speed limit by too much, we should really get going.”

She nodded and grabbed his hand and pulled him out of the murder room and down to the parking garage. He opened the door for her and helped her in, giving her a small smile as he noticed her hands shaking. 

“Do you want your vest now? Or do you want to wait until we get to this place?” he asked, reaching in the back for the vests.

“I’ll put it on now,” she said, “by the time we get there, I might be able to get it on,” she nervously chuckled. 

Gibbs pulled her out of the car and helped her stand. He grabbed her vest and slipped it over her head, quickly fastening the Velcro straps around her slim waist. 

“Hey,” he looked down at her, waiting for her eyes to meet his, “We are going to get him.”

Sharon smile, although forced, made Gibbs feel a bit better. She didn’t quite know how he always knew what she was thinking,   
but it was comforting to know they could be on the same page after all these years. She stood on her tippy toes and captured his lips in a quick kiss, hoping he understood that was her way of saying ‘thank you’ when words failed her.

“Now let’s go catch this son of a bitch,” he smiled.

“Yes sir,” she said mockingly as she turned back towards the car.

Gibbs only shook his head before he made his way to his side of the car and got in. He noticed that she seemed a bit more relaxed now, and he hands were not shaking as bad as before. Starting the car and pulling out of the parking garage, he felt her hand grab his. Her fingers intertwined with his and their hands came to rest on the center console.

“Do you think we are going to find him, Jethro?” she said quietly as she stared out the window.

“I promised you I would get him in four days,” he replied.

“No,” she turned to him, “you promised me that if you didn’t find him in four days, you would let Rusty and I go back to the condo.”

“Which means that I will get him by the time those four days are up,” he chuckled, but noticing her serious manner, he stopped.

“If we get the chance to kill him,” she said in a dangerously low tone, “I want to take the shot.”

Gibbs nodded, “Of course.”

“I need to be the one that does this, Jethro,” she continues, “The first time I slept through a whole night was when I was with   
you on the couch. I almost always wake up from a nightmare about him killing Rusty or me…This is something I have to do.”

“I understand, Sharon. I have had a few of my own Philip Stroh’s,” he said simply, squeezing her hand.

“Thank you,” she looked at him softy, before turning back to the road in front of them.

40 minutes late, they had arrived at a small two story house on the outskirts of town. It was a fairly isolated area and the last time Mike checked in, his signal was barely coming in. Gibbs parked the car at the base of the driveway to make sure that if anyone tried to pull out, they would be blocked in. Sharon quickly got out and double checked her weapon to be sure it was loaded and ready and she heard Gibbs so the same thing. They both walked up to the car near the house, and found it empty.

“The engine is still warm,” Gibbs said as he pulled his hand away from the hood, “Somebody just got home.”

“Let’s go knock on the door then,” she gestured to the porch. 

They both climbed the stairs of the porch and approached the front door. Gibbs knocked and bellowed, “NCIS,” and they waited for a response. Sharon was about to knock again when the coking of a shotgun from behind the door caught their attention.   
Before she could move, Gibbs tackled her to the porch and rolled them away from the blast that soon followed. The door was blown to pieces as the two of them rolled off the porch and took cover against the side of the house.

“I’ll take front,” Gibbs motioned, “You go around back.”

“Jethro-” she tried to get him to go around back with her, but he cut her off and pushed her towards the rear of the house.

Without another glance, Gibbs turned and took aim as he tried to return fire through the now destroyed door. Sharon crouched down and made sure to stay clear of the windows as she rounded the house and approached the back door. Finding it open, she went in quietly and was led into a sparse kitchen with a small table in the center. She could no longer hear any shot being fired, and as she cleared the hallway leading into the living room, she could see Gibbs making his way through the front door.   
He pointed in the direction of the stairs and she nodded, following him up to the second floor. 

When they made it to the second floor, there were rooms to the left and right, and after making sure that nobody was in the hallway, they each took a side. Gibbs had 4 rooms to clear on the left, and Sharon had 2 on the right. She watched as Gibbs cleared his first room and she entered the first on her side. As she cleared the first room, she walked out and headed to the next, but she didn’t know if Gibbs had come out of his room. As she cleared her last room, Gibbs was frozen in the center of his first room with a gun to the back of his head. 

“You really should have cleared the second room first,” Stroh said from behind him.

“I always liked doing things my own way,” Gibbs replied causally as he discreetly reached for his phone to call McGee.

“You and the Captain seem pretty close,” Stroh changed the subject as he circled Gibbs, “You were the one at her condo, and now you are here with her instead of one of her teammates.”

“I figured they could use a little help in finding you,” Gibbs shrugged as he took a seat on the bed.

“Stand up,” Stroh said, “I don’t want you pulling anything funny.”

“I’m an old man,” Gibbs just sat there, “I’ve been walking and running around chasing your ass for the past 24 hours, so excuse me if my knees need a little break.”

Stroh seemed to think it over and seeing no danger in it, he let Gibbs sit there. He turned to face the doorway and kept his gun trained on Gibbs’ head. 

“How much longer do you think she is going to be?” Stroh asked without looking away from the door.

“I told her to clear downstairs again,” Gibbs lied, “so probably a while Philip.”

Gibbs was hoping that by this point, McGee had caught on to what was happening to them and who they were with. Sharon was probably right outside the door, listening to them talk, but he needed to make sure that she could hear them before she came in here without being on high alert. He figured the best thing to do would be to make Stroh talk about why he was so fixated on Rusty and Sharon.

“You really think that you are going to be able to kill Rusty?” Gibbs prodded.

“I’ve got you at gun point, don’t I?” Stroh smirked.

Gibbs returned his smirk and tilted his head to the side, shrugging, “You’re not the first one to point a gun at me.”

“I can tell,” he said, “You are a lot calmer than my other victims.”

Gibbs just sat there and waited for the killer to do something. He had been in this situation before, and the best thing he could do was remain calm and let them screw up. He saw Sharon’s shadow earlier as Stroh passed in front of him, and he was sure that she was just waiting for a chance to catch Stroh off guard, and he needed to give that to her.

“How long is it going to take you to realize that the Captain has realized something is up and isn’t going to walk in here?” Gibbs said sarcastically.

“I’ve already figured that out,” Stroh gritted out, a bit annoyed, “But I have also figured out that you and the Captain are a little closer than you are letting on.”

Gibbs chuckled, “She would probably thank you for shooting me.”

Stroh spun around to face him, “I don’t understand what part of this is funny!” he yelled at Gibbs.

“None of it,” called a voice for the door way before a shot rang out.

Sharon lowered her weapon slightly and walked into the room towards Stroh’s limp body. Gibbs joined her and kicked his gun away.

“You got him right between the eyes, Sharon,” Gibbs said, “Remind me not to piss you off.”

Sharon holstered her gun before looking down at the dead body in front of her, “Trust me, Jethro, I don’t need a gun to hurt   
you.”

Gibbs smiled and pulled her to him, “I will keep that in mind…How are you feeling?”

“A bit shaken up,” she buried her head in his shoulder, “but I’m glad it’s all finally over.”

They both heard footsteps coming up the stairs followed by the voices of McGee and her team calling out to them. 

“Upstairs,” Gibbs responded, waiting for them to make it to landing before addressing Detective Sykes, “You guys are going to need to call FID down here.”

Provenza was the first to speak as he saw Stroh’s dead form, “It’s about damn time!”

“I’ll call Staples, Captain,” Flynn smiled at her and nodded lightly in her direction.

“We can take care of the scene, Ma’am,” Julio said as he came closer to her, “You and Agent Gibbs can get some fresh air.”

“Thank you, Julio,” she smiled and took Gibbs’ hand in hers and led him from the room. 

They quickly made their way down stairs and waited for FID to show up. They were both leaning against the hood of his car when Gibbs reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone. He dialed a number before handing it to her to answer.

She put the phone to her ear and heard it ring once before Rusty’s voice came over the line, “Hello?”

“Rusty!” she gasped, turning to mouth ‘thank you’ to Gibbs.

“Sharon? Why are you using Gibbs’ phone?” concern was evident in his voice, “Is everything okay?”

“Everything is fine, Rusty,” she cut in before he could worry him too much, “In fact, you can tell Agents Bishop and Dinozzo that   
they can leave you be.”

“You got Stroh?!” Rusty practically yelled, catching the attention of the two agents in question.

“I got him,” she sighed, feeling tears behind her eyes, “He is dead…You’re safe, Rusty.”

She could hear him screaming and bouncing around through the line, and she couldn’t help but join in on his laughter. Gibbs was smiling down at her, and she pulled him close to her. Stroh was gone. Rusty was safe.

“Rusty,” she laughed, “I have to go. FID is about to ask me some questions and I think Jethro needs to talk to his team.”

“Okay,” Rusty said with excitement ruling his voice, “I will give the phone to Dinozzo right now…I love you, Sharon.”

“I love you too, Rusty,” she smiled before handing the phone over to Gibbs and walking over towards the FID officers that had just pulled up. 

By the time she was done giving her statement and everyone was released, Sharon was exhausted but elated. Gibbs offered to drive her back to the station, but she decided to call it a day.

“Okay,” Gibbs said as he drove back into town, “We can pick up Rusty and I can drop you off at your condo.”

Sharon looked at him surprised, “You are taking us back to my condo?”

“I did promise you that once it was safe, or my time was up, I would take you back to your condo,” he said simply. 

Sharon looked down at her lap and thought it over. That was his promise and he did keep it, but at this moment she wished he wasn’t so true to his word. His house was a lot more comfortable and she had to admit that seeing Rusty work on the boat with him made her feel like they had their own little family. Gibbs noticed her quiet contemplation and placed his hand on her knee to get her attention.

“If you would prefer to stay at my place, you know the door is always unlocked,” he smiled.

Sharon’s beaming smile practically lit up the car as she nodded, “I would love to stay another night if you don’t mind having me.”

“You are always welcome, Sharon,” he smiled back.

Sharon leaned over the center console and laid her head on his shoulder as the passing trees turned into small buildings, which soon turned into skyscrapers. They were at Rusty’s school in no time to pick him up and it was refreshing to not see a security detail following him at all.

“Hey Gibbs!” Rusty called as he got in the back seat.

“Hey kid,” Gibbs said as he looked at him through the rear view mirror.

“Have you two already eaten? Cause I think we should go out to celebrate,” Rusty buckled in and continued before they could   
answer, “We could do burgers…or pizza, or even something healthy as long as we get dessert. And Sharon? If it’s okay with Gibbs, can we stay with him again tonight? I really want to work on the boat again.”

Sharon giggled as Rusty continued to ask question after question, “Rusty, I am sure we can stay with Jethro because we were   
already planning on going to his place. As for dinner, I think you are going to have to ask our driver.”

“Please Gibbs?” Rusty leaned over Gibbs’ seat to look at him better.

“I know a diner close to my place that has good food and great apple pie,” he nodded and headed for his usually spot.

Rusty continued to talk non-stop as Sharon and Gibbs shared occasional glances and took turns answering the flood of questions coming their way. 

“Oh! I just realized that I never asked you two why you broke up?” Rusty said just as they pulled into the diner parking lot.  
Gibbs looked at Sharon before helping them out of the car, “Let’s order some food first, and then we can talk about it.”


	6. Chapter 6: Facing the Past

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We learn more about Sharon and Gibbs' past.

Once they were all settled in a booth at Gibbs’ favorite diner, Rusty looked at the expectantly.

“Can you please tell me why you two broke up?” he practically begged.

“Let’s figure out what we want to eat first,” Sharon chuckled, “then we can tell you a bit about what happened.”

Gibbs smiled as Rusty eagerly searched the menu for his dinner and Sharon did the same. 

His usual waitress came up to their table, already bringing him a cup of coffee, “It’s good to see you again Mr. Gibbs! It’s nice   
to see you with some other people other than Mr. Fornell, too.”

“We’re all a little hungry and I thought this would be a nice place to bring them,” he said simply as he took a sip of his coffee.

“Who is Fornell?” Rusty asked, without looking up from his menu.

“He’s an old friend of mine who works for the FBI,” Gibbs said while pulling Sharon in close to his side. 

“Well, it’s nice to see you again,” their waitress said, “especially with such a beautiful woman and handsome young man.”

Sharon blushed a bit and Rusty bowed his head at the comments. Gibbs watched them and realized that neither of them were used to receiving compliments and it made him think about what must have happened to them. 

“I’m lucky they decided to put up with me for another minute,” Gibbs said simply, trying to take the attention away from Rusty and Sharon.

She shook her head while pulling out her note pad, “I don’t think you give yourself enough credit,” she chuckles, “But it looks like you are all hungry, so why don’t we get your orders. I am assuming you want your usual, Mr. Gibbs?”

Gibbs gave a short nod, and she turned to Sharon for her order.

“I would like the turkey sandwich on rye and an iced tea, please,” she said politely, handing over her menu.

“Okay,” the waitress smiled and turned to Rusty, “and for you young man?”

“Can I have the simple cheese burger and a Coke?” he asked as Sharon rolled her eyes at his choice.

“Of course. How would you like it cooked?” 

“Well done,” he said while giving her his menu.

She assured them that their meals would be out soon, and was back within a few minutes with their drinks. Rusty looked at the two adults across from him and waited for them to begin their story, and Gibbs couldn’t help but smirk at the look that Sharon gave her son.

“Fine,” Sharon practically huffed before turning to Gibbs, “Do you want to tell it or should I?”

Gibbs tilted his head to the side before looking at Rusty, “I’ll tell you what I can and if you want to know anything else, Sharon can talk for a bit.”

Rusty nodded and Gibbs felt Sharon squeeze his hand as a signal to continue.

One Month Before Graduation…

Sharon had fallen asleep in the truck at the drive-in, and Jethro tried to move her into the front seat as softly as possible. When she didn’t stir once he settled her in, he moved to the driver’s seat and gently placed her head on his thigh. Once he made it out of the drive-in parking lot, he took his time heading towards her house. They still had an hour left on the curfew, so he wasn’t worried about not making it on time. 

As he pulled into the driveway, he saw her mother come out to greet him, “Hello, Leroy,” she smiled and gave him a hug as he got out of the truck. 

“Hi, Mrs. O’Dwyer,” he said back, pointing towards Sharon, “She fell asleep towards the end of the second movie. I didn’t want to wake her until I had to.”

Her mom smiled and peered in through the window at her daughter, “That was very nice of you. Why don’t you grab her and tuck her in upstairs?”

“Okay,” he said while gently picking Sharon up in his arms and carrying her into the house and up the stairs to her room. 

He placed her in her bed and looked down at her for a moment. She looked so beautiful, and he couldn’t believe that she was   
his. In a few months they would be graduating and maybe even going to California together. She had applied to a few colleges there, and he planned on following her to open his own shop. He could see himself spending the rest of his life with her, and it was hard to believe that she was letting him get this close. As he tucked her in, he placed a soft kiss on her forehead and whispered a quick ‘goodnight.’

He quietly left the room and walked down the stairs, only to be stopped by her father, “Leroy, come in to my study please.”

Jethro followed the older man into his office and took the seat that was offered to him. Mr. O’Dwyer sat across for Jethro and watched him for a while before he straightened up in his seat.

“I understand that you and my daughter have become very close in the past few years. You have proven to be capable of defending yourself in certain situations, but I do not feel that you are the best choice for my daughter.”

Jethro was about to interrupt him when her father held up a hand to silence him.

“She is a smart young lady who is on the track to become an amazing lawyer or judge, and you are not an essential part of that plan. You are only good for bringing trouble into her life and putting her into situations where she has to push the boundaries. The people that hurt you will hurt her to get to you, and I don’t want that for my daughter.”

He paused and stood up to stand in front of Jethro. He seemed to debate his next few words carefully before taking a deep breath.

“Do you love my daughter?”

Without hesitation, Jethro found himself saying ‘yes,’ and he realized for the first time that this is what love felt like, and he would never feel this again.

Sharon’s father looked at him and nodded, “Then you should be willing to let her go. If you stay with her, you will only hurt her chances at becoming who she wants to become.”

Jethro looked down at his hands and took in each word. He thought about everything that Sharon would have to give up if she settled for him. She would not get the kind of man she deserved, and if he didn’t find a way to support her, he would only hinder her more. 

“I understand, sir,” Jethro said quietly, “Can I have just a little more time with her?”

Her father nodded, “You have until graduation.”

Three weeks was all he had, and now he had to think of something else to do that wouldn’t involve California or anything close to it. 

“Thank you, sir,” Jethro stood up and began to make his way out of the study, but he stopped when something came to him, 

“May I ask you a question, sir?”

“Go ahead,” the older man said somberly.

“Is there anything I could do that would make me worthy of your daughter in the future?” he asked, hoping for an answer he   
could follow.

Her father thought long and hard before he spoke, “The day that you can look at yourself in the mirror and be proud of who you are and what you have done, is the day you can think of my daughter. The day that you do something to help others and it is a completely selfless act, you can start looking for her. The day that you know that you would do anything to protect her, even give your own life to save her, you can see her. The day that you know that you can protect her and will not stop at anything to do so, you can talk to her, but between you and me…you will never be worthy of her.” 

Jethro turned around and left the office, thinking about what he had to do to prove to Sharon and her father that he was there   
for her. That night, he looked into how to join the military. Two days later, he talked to a recruiter and signed up for the Marine Corps. He never told Sharon or her father, because he didn’t want them to think that he couldn’t do it. He had to just jump in before Sharon’s big green eyes stopped him for good.

Present…

“So her dad stopped you from dating her?” Rusty looked between the two, his fries and half of a burger forgotten.

Gibbs nodded and turned to see Sharon looking at him with wonder in her eyes.

“He never told me about you asking what you could do?” she whispered, “He only said that you loved me enough to let me go when he asked.”

Shrugging, Gibbs took a drink of his coffee before responding, “I wanted to know that I would have a chance later on.”

Placing her hand on his cheek, Sharon turned his face towards her, “You always had a chance with me.”

She placed a soft kiss on his lips and pulled away to rest her head on his shoulder. He placed his arm around her waist and   
held her to him as she took in all of this information.

“But I don’t understand,” Rusty interrupted, “if you loved her then why didn’t you, I don’t know…fight for her?”

“Because I knew her father would not approve, and her father means the world to her. I could be the reason the two of them were at odds for the rest of their lives,” Gibbs said as he reflected on his own relationship with his father, “Plus, he was right. I would have ruined her life had I followed her to California.”

“We would have made it work,” she responded without picking her head up off his shoulder. 

“But neither of us would be where we are today.”

“So how long were you two together afterwards?” Rusty asked quietly.

“We were together up until three days before graduation,” Sharon supplied as she lifted her head up and turned to look at Rusty. 

She scooted closer to Gibbs and leaned back against his chest, his arm still firmly wrapped around her.

“Why did you wait so long?” Rusty turned to Gibbs.

Gibbs looked out the window to his right and shook his head slightly, “I was being selfish. I wanted it to last as long as it could and make sure that there wasn’t too much time between her finding out and me leaving.”

Rusty nodded as he thought about the whole situation before he turned back towards his mother, “And your father told you this, but you never tried to fix it?”

Sharon shook her head, “My father didn’t tell me until years later, after I had Emily and Ricky and I was starting to separate from Jack. He only told me that he had asked Jethro to break it off, but nothing else. I thought about trying to find him, but   
with two young children and a job that doesn’t stop, I never found the time.”

“Do Emily and Ricky know about your past?” he asked hesitantly.

Sharon smiled as she thought back to her children, “I used to tell them bed time stories about Jethro and me. Of course they didn’t know it was me, but they loved it. I told them about a handsome young man who was reckless and hotheaded, but also sweat and loving…So they know about him and me, but they just don’t know it.”

Rusty smiled at her as she looked at Gibbs and kissed him lightly on the cheek. They both seemed happy with the fact that they had found each other and now he was sure that he wasn’t going to have to worry about much with Gibbs around. He already proved that he could protect both of them and was more than happy to include him in things.

“So you think we could head back to your place now to work on the boat, Gibbs?” Rusty asked excitedly. 

Chuckling, Gibbs placed money on the table and helped Sharon up and into her coat. He said goodbye to the waitress as Sharon took his hand and led him out to the car. Once they were in the car and on their way back to his house, Rusty continued to ask them about their relationship. They took turns answering questions, with Sharon answering more than Gibbs, and soon they were walking through the front door and changing into clothes that they could wear while working on the boat.   
Gibbs and Rusty were the first ones down there and Sharon joined them shortly afterwards wearing a pair of yoga pants and a sweater. Rusty was already working on the siding as Gibbs was checking his work and sanding the pieces he added. Sharon picked up one of the sanding blocks and joined Gibbs, occasionally bumping into his side to tease him. At first he didn’t react, but after the fifth time, Gibbs spun around and picked her up. Sharon squealed as he hoisted her in the air and walked her over to a saw horse in the corner, which he set her down on.

“You stay right there,” he said seriously.

“And if I don’t?” she shot back. 

Gibbs smirked and turned back to the boat to help Rusty. They continued to work together for a while until he realized Rusty was throwing looks over his shoulder towards Sharon. They were up to something and he was going to let it play out before he reacted. They continued to look at each other for another few minutes before Rusty stopped looking all together. Before Gibbs could turn around, Sharon jump onto his back and placed an old work rag over his eyes. He instantly reached behind him to grab her, but he heard her yell ‘NOW’ to Rusty and he was soon let go only to be drenched in water. 

“I think this would be the perfect time to run, Rusty,” Sharon said as she backed up towards the staircase.

“Way ahead of you,” he called behind him while taking the stairs two at a time.

“Is that why you took so long to get ready?” Gibbs asked as he turned to Sharon, “You were getting that bucket of water ready?”

“Maybe,” she smirked.

“I should tell you that I am really good at getting the truth out of people,” Gibbs teased as he took another step towards her.

“And I should tell you that I am a hard person to trick or manipulate,” she countered as she continued up the stairs.

“Are you sure about that?” he smiled, “Because I remember a certain spot on your neck that would have you singing like a canary.”

Sharon hummed as she thought about all of the times he used to hit that spot, “Well, I guess you will just have to catch me if you want to know if that spot still works.”

With that she took off running up the stairs and down into the kitchen. She grabbed the water gun that Rusty had procured for her and hid in the living room behind the couch. Her and Rusty had decided to have a little fun, and decided to borrow three water guns from a friend of his from school for tonight. Rusty was hiding up the stairs pressed against the wall, waiting for her to give him the signal that Gibbs was in his sights. What they hadn’t counted on was the back door opening and closing, signaling that Gibbs had gone outside.

“What do we do now?” Rusty came down the stairs and looked to his mother for advice.

“I’m going to have you go out the front door and sneak around back. I’ll go out the back and hopefully make him focus on me so you can hit him,” she said as she headed towards the kitchen.

“You’re really taking this seriously,” he laughed as he watched his mother crouched down to avoid the window looking out back.

“He is about to learn not to mess with the LAPD,” she chuckled before she headed out to the back yard and listened for any sounds that would lead her to Gibbs.

Rusty circled around the front and heard something in front of him. He got low to the ground and started slowly and quietly making his way towards the sound of the noise. Sharon also heard a noise in front of her and did the same. When she sensed that the source of the noise was close enough, she took aim and got a little closer before pulling the trigger. As she pulled the trigger, she felt water hit her and she realized that Gibbs was firing back and had heard her. She decided to get closer to him, but when she did, she saw not Gibbs but Rusty. 

“Rusty?” she asked lowering her water gun. 

“Sharon? I thought you were Gibbs,” he said, looking around the yard confused.

“I thought the same about you,” she huffed, “Did you see anything when you made your way this way?”

“No,” he shook his head, “I heard you and assumed it was him.”

“I didn’t see him either, so where did he go?” she whispered.

“I’m right here,” Gibbs called from their left as he stepped out of the bushes and pointed a hose at them. 

Soon, they were both drenched as Gibbs soaked them thoroughly with the hose. All three of them were laughing as Rusty and   
Sharon took turns trying to get the hose away from him. When it got too dark for them to see even the brightly colored water guns, Sharon called it quits and ushered everyone inside. Rusty disappeared to dry off and told them he would be down in the basement setting everything up.

Gibbs turned to Sharon and smiled as some of her hair fell into her face, “Remember when we got caught in the rain the day after exams?”

Sharon smiled back and pulled him to her, “I think I need your help in refreshing my memory.”

Gibbs leaned down and placed a soft but passionate kiss on her lips, and soon they were lost to the world. Rusty came out of the basement to see what was taking them so long, only to find both of them making out on the couch again.

“Is this seriously going to happen every time I walk into a room?” he complained.

Sharon was instantly off of Gibbs and heading up stairs, mumbling something about having to change. Gibbs laughed along with Rusty and they headed down into the basement to continue working on the boat. Tomorrow was the day that Gibbs father was coming to town and Gibbs knew that Sharon would be happy to see him again.


	7. Chapter 7: The First Jack

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jackson Gibbs pays a visit.

Sharon was running around the house trying to find her shirt. She knew that Jethro had thrown it to the side last night but she can’t remember which room they were in when that happened. She turned towards the bathroom and found the garment lying across the vanity along with Jethro’s boxers. Picking them up, she walk into the bedroom and cleared her throat to catch the attention of the man in the closet.

“I was wondering where those went,” Gibbs laughed as he took the underwear from Sharon and proceeded to pull her close to him.

“Mmmm, they were hiding in the bathroom along with my missing shirt,” Sharon hummed as her eyebrow arched.

“I guess we both have impeccable aim,” he smirked before placing a light kiss on her lips.

Sharon giggled and returned the kiss while just holding him in her arms. After hearing everything he had to say last night about her father’s deal with him, she couldn’t help but wonder what would have happened if Emily and Ricky had Jethro as a father. How would her life been different if she had Jethro there to support her and raise their kids? It would have been so much easier, but they probably would not have the jobs or positions that they have now. Gibbs pulled away and brought his hands to her face, holding her in place as he just looked at her.

“I cannot tell you how many nights I spent dreaming about your eyes,” he said seriously, “I never forgot their color or how they seem to exude a sense of love. They are one of the many things I missed about you.”

“I missed you too, Jethro,” she said gently, “I can’t tell you how much I missed watching movies at the drive-in while in the back of your truck, or snuggling close to each other during winter with a fire to keep us warm.”

“I can think of a few other things that we did in front of a fire that I missed,” he teased and watched as she blushed and ducked her head to avoid his gaze but he stopped her, “You are beautiful no matter what, and you shouldn’t have to hide when you blush, Sharon.”

Again, she blushed and rolled her eyes, trying to pull away from him, but he wouldn’t let her. 

“What did he do to you to make you think you cannot accept a compliment?” Gibbs asks softly.

“Jethro,” she said softly, “It was nothing-”

“I know that he must have put you through hell,” he interrupted, “because the Sharon that I knew would never shy away from a compliment like that. She may blush, but she would smile and say ‘thank you’ before offering up a compliment of her own.”

“I just don’t see why compliments are necessary,” she tried to brush off.

“But that is why they are compliments,” Gibbs offered, “I could tell you how beautiful you are everyday just because and you would know that I was doing it out of sincerity and not necessity.”

“I’m just not used to it,” she whispers, trying to avoid his eyes.

Gibbs looked at her and tried not to let the furry show in his eyes. He was tempted to go find Jack and teach him what pain feels like.

“Why aren’t you used to it?” He asked, needing to hear her say it.

Sharon looked up at his and shook her head, “Because Jack never told me anything like that unless he wanted something, and my previous job did not offer a lot of praise either.”

Gibbs leaned down to place a kiss to her forehead, “Well, I think your team loves you too much now, and I am not Jack.”

“I know,” she whispered and buried her head into his chest and just listened to his breathing and heartbeat.

Gibbs held her for a while, thinking about all of the missed time that could had been avoided if he had found her sooner. He found Shannon and she was a nice distraction for his heart that turned into love, and he thought that Sharon had found someone better than him. He thought everything would be fine and once he and Shannon had Kelly he honestly believed that he could forget his first love, but he never did. It’s hard to let go of somebody who you still love, especially when you never wanted to say goodbye. His father never let him forget about his decision to join the Marines, but he also never let him forget the girl that was perfect in every way.

They broke apart to the sound of Rusty’s voice calling from downstairs, “Gibbs! Sharon! Somebody is here.”

Sharon and Gibbs jumped apart and raced down stairs afraid of who might be in the house with Rusty and what they could possibly want. As they cleared the last step and turned towards the living room and kitchen, Gibbs immediately recognized who this mystery person was and he realized that he forgot to tell Sharon and Rusty about his visit.

“You really should lock the doors if you are going to have visitors over, Leroy,” Jackson Gibbs said as he smiled at his son.

Gibbs just smirked and walked towards his dad and gave him a hug, “How are you dad?” 

“I am fine. The drive up was a trip, but I made it in one piece,” he chuckled before looking at Sharon, “Sharon O’Dwyer? That has to be you. I would recognize those green eyes anywhere.”

Sharon couldn’t help the huge grin that came across her face as she looked at the elderly gentleman, “It’s good to see you, Jack.”

She walked towards him and hugged him as he placed a kiss to her temple.

“So who is the handsome young man in the corner?” Jack asked a broke away from the embrace.

“Oh!” Sharon blushed, “This is my son, Rusty. Rusty, this is Jethro’s father, Jackson Gibbs.”

Jack shook Rusty’s hand, “It’s nice to meet you, Rusty. How old are you?” 

“It’s nice to meet you too, Mr. Gibbs. I’m 19.”

“You can call me Jackson or Jack if you want, son. Mr. Gibbs just makes me feel old,” Jack laughed.

Rusty nodded a bit awkwardly and sensing this, Jack turned to Sharon and Gibbs and noticed that his son had his arm around her waist. They were not really paying attention to anything except each other. 

“I see you two are getting along like you never said goodbye,” he said smugly

“We always were great together,” Sharon says happily.

“Which is why I never let Jethro forget it,” Jackson chuckled as he watched his son look away. 

Gibbs shook his head and placed a kiss to her forehead before heading into the kitchen to make some coffee. He knew that his father would probably want some, but he wasn’t sure if he still had tea in the house for Sharon. He was searching through the cabinets when he felt a hand on his shoulder.

“I’m sorry, but we have to get going and drop Rusty off at the campus since he doesn’t have his car,” Sharon said softly.

“No problem, I will let my dad know and then give you guys a lift,” he said, abandoning the coffee.

As Gibbs walked into the living room, he heard his dad and Rusty talking about him as a kid. Rusty looked shocked and amused to hear that the no nonsense man in front of him was an unruly teenager when it came to the local neighborhood boys.

“Leroy was quite protective of your foster mom,” Jackson said, “I swear most of the fights he got into were because he wanted to impress her.”

“I was protecting her,” Gibbs interjected as he grabbed Sharon’s coat and offered it to her.

“I guess your mistake was assuming that I needed protection,” Sharon smirked as he just smiled down at her. 

“Are you guys leaving?” Jackson asked.

“Yes, I am sorry, Jack,” Sharon apologized as she grabbed her purse, “We have to drop Rusty off at school and then run by my place to get my car before I can go to work.”

“Why don’t you take the Jethro’s car and Jethro can take the Challenger?” Jack pointed towards the keys sitting on the entry way table.

“The old yellow one? You got it all fixed up?” Sharon looked at Jackson in shock, “I thought you gave up on that thing after Jethro shipped off.”

“I decided a few years later that ii had no reason to hold a grudge or be mad at my own son for becoming a Marine.”

“Maybe I wanted to spend a little more time with her, dad,” Jethro interjected as he finished putting on his jacket and headed towards the door. 

“Well then, give Rusty the keys to a car,” Jackson reasoned only to be met with a hurried “no” from his mother.

“I do not mind Rusty driving his car, but he will not be responsible for somebody else’s car,” she explained only to get a nod from Rusty.

“I understand,” Jackson chuckled, “I did have to teach Leroy how to drive and that was not pleasant. You guys should get going then, and I will see you al later.”

Both Rusty and Gibbs nodded, but Sharon seemed to hesitate before she spoke up.

“Why don’t you come to work with me, Jack? It will be a little bit more entertaining than sitting here alone all day, and I think there are a few of my colleagues that you would get alone with.”

“Alright!” he smiled and grabbed his jacket from off the back of the couch and joined then out the door. 

Sharon wanted to hold Gibbs’ hand only to realize that he was no longer beside her. She was about to ask Rusty if he had seen where he had gone, but the roaring of an engine answered her question. Gibbs pulled up in front of the house in the yellow Challenger that she remembered from their old garage. He got out with the keys in hand and walked up to meet her in the driveway.

“You look kinda sexy driving that thing,” Sharon remarked, earning her a kiss from Gibbs as he winked.

“Yeah, but I am sure you are going to look twice as sexy driving it,” he handed her the keys.

Sharon couldn’t help the goofy grin that spread across her face as he dropped the keys into her open hand, “Really?”

He nodded and gave her a kiss on the forehead before moving out of the way and gesturing towards the car. Sharon did not run to the car, because she would never outright run for something as trivial as a car…although, this was not just any car, so she may have jogged over to it in a hurried manner. 

“Dad, I will see you later,” Gibbs gave his father a hug and then turned to Rusty, “It’s up to you who you go with, but I understand if you want to go with your mom.”

“Actually, I think I will go with you, Gibbs,” he smiled before saying goodbye to his mother and joining Gibbs in the passenger seat.

“How much time do we have until your first class?” Gibbs asked as he watched in his rearview mirror as Sharon pulled away.

“I have about 45 minutes, but it’s okay if I don’t make it. I have an A in the class anyways,” Rusty answered, doubtful that he would make it in time. 

“We will make it,” Gibbs said as he backed up onto the road, “but only if you promise not to tell your mother how fast we were going.”

“Deal,” Rusty laughed.

At the station…

Sharon pulled into the parking garage and quickly parked into her spot. As she got out with Jackson at her side, she heard somebody calling her from behind.

“Ma’am,” Julio called out, “That is one hell of a car!” 

Sharon chuckled, “Thanks, Julio. It is Agent Gibbs’ car and he is letting me borrow it for today so that I could be on time and he could drop off Rusty.”

“I bet it is a really smooth ride,” he said as he stared at the classic 1970’s Dodge Challenger R/T.

“It better after all the work I had to put into the damn thing,” Jack said as he approached the young detective. 

“You refurbished her, sir?” Julio looked at Jackson with a look of envy.

“Yep,” Jack said as he patted the trunk, “She was quite the rust bucket before I started working on her.”

“She looks pristine,” he said before turning to offer his hand to the older man, “I’m Det. Julio Sanchez by the way.”

“Jackson Gibbs,” he introduced himself.

After the three of them made it up to the squad room to finish up any last minute paperwork, Jackson found himself to be quite at home talking to Provenza and Flynn. Since Flynn grew up on the East coast, he enjoyed talking to Jack about everything that he was missing in sunny California. Provenza enjoyed talking about everything else and surprisingly got his paperwork done before anyone else.

Sharon was in her office signing off on the reports that had been left for her when her phone rang.

“Captain Raydor,” she answered while reading Provenza’s chicken scratch.

“Shar-on,” Jack’s voice called over the phone, “A little birdy told me that Leroy Gibbs paid you a visit and you two hit it off.”

Sharon rolled her eyes at her ex-husbands statement. She could tell that he was a bit drunk, which was troubling considering the early hour, but he was no longer her problem.

“Yes, he did stop by and help with a case and we did ‘hit it off,’ but that is none of business,” she responded.

“What’s wrong? Afraid he is going to realize that you turn out to be a cold bitch?” 

“I really don’t have time for you anymore,” Sharon was about to hang up when she thought about something, “but I am sure that your petite copine would love to hear about it.”

With that she hung up and thanked the forces that be for the French classes she had taken in high school and college. Her phone rang again and she answered it thinking it was Jack again.

“Jack, I do not care if you are stuck at some dive with a shark chasing after their money,” she said caustically, “You can call somebody else or no one at all. I am no longer one of your options.”

“I take it this is a bad time to be calling you to offer some lunch?” Gibbs voice cut through the silence on the other side of the line. 

“Oh my gosh, Jethro!” Sharon blushed as she realized she should have read the caller ID, “I’m sorry. I would love lunch.”

“Did Jack call you earlier?”

“Just before you actually,” she sighed.

“Well, I bring some comfort food,” he said just as her office door opened and he walked through carrying a bag of food.

Sharon beamed up at him as he placed it on her desk and began emptying the contents onto the desk. She got up from her chair and walked around behind him in order to wrap her arms around his waist. 

“So,” she peered around him, “what kind of comfort food are we talking about?”

He chuckled as he handed her her food, “I remember you used to love hot pastrami sandwiches with a little bit of mayo and mustard.”

Sharon’s mouth started watering instantly. She sat in one of her chairs and opened the sandwich wrapping only to hum as the smell enveloped her. 

“I also remembered that you had a thing for real chocolate ice cream shakes,” he handed her the frozen treat and watched as her eyes got wide.

“You really know how to cheer a girl up.”

“I know,” he smirk.

They ate together laughing and joking about old times and new, and Sharon told him all of the dirty details about Jack and his earlier phone call. She had finished before him, and was enjoying the sight of him eating his Sonoran dog.

“Is that good?” she asked.

“Yeah,” he said through a mouth full, “do you want a bite?”

She nodded but instead of taking the sandwich from his hand, she stood up and sat on his lap. She took a bite of the hot dog and just grinned as he looked at her, surprised that she still did this.  
This is how she would always steel food from him when they were alone and it would usually end with them making out like crazy. When the hot dog was gone, he found out that things really hadn’t changed much when it came to Sharon O’Dwyer Raydor…and he loved that.


End file.
